Our Impact

For decades, our inner-city communities have painted troubling pictures that our young people have accepted as the norm, and as such, are replicating daily pictures of violence, homicide, incarceration, gang activity, and high school drop-outs. Painting Pictures Inc. equips young people from the Union, Essex & Passaic Counties of New Jersey between the ages of 13-23 to make the best of their abilities and reach their full potential. Additionally, after these youths become aware of their potential, Painting Pictures will help them to paint metaphorical pictures that include a quality education, healthy lifestyle, and a bright future.

1 on 1 & Group Mentoring

Mentoring is a key component to Painting Pictures Inc., as it provides a young person with a tour guide to help them navigate through adolescence. Painting Pictures provides mentors for youth to offer the necessary support, guidance, and assistance to ensure that youth paint pictures that include a quality education (students attending school and striving towards academic success), healthy lifestyle (not participating in risky behaviors such as gang activity and using illegal substances), and a bright future (post-high school preparation via college/trade school and/or workforce training).

Exposure to New Experiences

One can only aspire to the level of their awareness and exposure, thus Painting Pictures Inc. exposes inner-city youth to experiences not typically afforded to them in their community which they might have never known. Youth are provided opportunities to enjoy the Arts, experience fine dining, view Broadway shows, visit colleges, visit and explore a multiplicity of career fields, and travel to other cities and countries.

Community Service

Painting Pictures Inc. actively Engages in community service opportunities to provide lasting and positive impact on society at large. Additionally, these community service projects enables youth to acquire life skills and knowledge as well as provide a service to those who need it most.

After School Programming

Painting Pictures endeavors to provide ongoing support to school systems through after-school programming that will cover topics such as "decision making skills," "anger management," "generational cycle challenges," "unfortunate norms of urban communities," "gang awareness," "goal setting," "the importance of positive associations," and "statistic awareness." Additional workshops will be provided based on community needs/concerns.

Presentations & Workshops

Painting pictures Inc. provides awareness of how one is influenced by generational cycles and environmental challenges through the methods of school assemblies, church youth programs and community hosted events. Presentations will allow youth to understand how their environment, experiences and media/music have shaped their thoughts of what they can do and become. Most importantly, Painting Pictures will strive to diffuse what students have understood to be the “norm” and help them recognize that they can paint a greater picture than what they’ve seen or expected from themselves. Additionally, Painting Pictures provides education and training opportunities to youth workers through presentations/workshops. These presentations focus on topics such as “how to work with at-risk youth,” “how to be an effective mentor,” “the unfortunate norms of urban communities,” “the prison to college pipeline, “sensitivity training” and “post-traumatic stress disorder among urban communities.